3 Best Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes, Tested in Homes

This is our favorite, full stop. We've tested the Litter-Robot 4 in multiple homes and with old and young cats, and felines took to it with minimal suspicion. With previous models, kittens under 5 pounds didn't always trigger the sensor, but that's been fixed with the latest model. The Litter-Robot is also the most often recommended self-cleaning litter box on Reddit, where many users simply refer to it as "LR." It has excellent odor control, works smoothly and is meant for households with multiple cats. Fill it with any clumping litter for best results. The brand recommends unscented clay litter; Fresh Step Advanced Unscented is one that works for many.

"When it arrived, I thought it was HUGE — and it is. But after having it for a few months now, I could never go back to another litter box," said our most recent 2024 tester. (For the record, it's about 30 inches tall.) "It fits in my decor pretty well. It's definitely not discreet, but I don't mind after all the hours it's saved me of scooping. I have two cats, both 12, and they had no problem transitioning to it. Once I set it up, they didn't want to use their old one."

Here's how it cleans: After your cat triggers the sensor by jumping in and then triggers it again by jumping out, the machine waits 7 minutes and then the entire globe quietly rotates. The wet or poopy clumps separate and fall into a lined bin at the bottom. Then the globe moves back into place, covering the bin and its odors, clean and ready for the next customer.

"I was initially put off because it's expensive and just seemed way more than you need. But it’s a fantastic machine that works brilliantly," said Lynn Redmile, a contributing product analyst for the Good Housekeeping Institute. The corresponding app is beneficial in helping you track when you need to empty the bin. "It also records the weight of each cat that uses it, so you can tell which cat is going most often in a multi-cat environment," Redmile said. If you want to make dumping the bin a fast and easy process, consider the brand's waste drawer liners.

Bells and whistles include an adjustable night light, sleep mode and a customizable cycle timer (for instance, you could opt to have the box clean itself twice a day instead of each time the cat uses it). Although the Litter Robot 4 can be used without the app, if you'd prefer no app connectivity at all, we also like the previous model, the Litter-Robot 3. It can't connect to the app and is only for cats who weigh 5 pounds or more, so it's $200 less.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW: The Litter-Robot 4

Size and age restrictions: None | Dimensions: 22" x 27" x 29.5" | Entryway: 15.75" in diameter

Our open-top value pick, for those looking to spend under $200, is about the size of a regular litter box and works with the PetSafe brand of crystal cat litter — you actually sit it on top of a prepackaged tray of the litter crystals. Plug it in and a sensor reads when your cat has entered and left. Twenty minutes after your cat's departure, a rake moves the solid waste to a bin, while the crystals absorb your cat's urine. If you have a single cat you'll want to empty the bin weekly and swap out the entire tray once a month. You can buy extra trays sold in three packs.

With crystal cat litter, there are almost no tracking problems and no dust. This model is easy to set up and doesn't connect to an app (a plus for those tired of needing their phones for everything). For those who want an app that tracks each time a cat has used the box, check out the app-enabled version of this box for $100 more. (It has a cover, too.)

This system is popular with squeamish cat owners who want to see as little poop as possible. The tray has a lid that you can clamp down when changing so you barely have to glimpse the gross stuff. It's useful for people with limited mobility who can't bend down to scoop a box every few days. It's also a more affordable self-cleaning box for pet owners who travel a few nights at a time and want to ensure their kitty's box stays clean. Plenty of people also praise the lightweight crystal litter as a nice break from 14-pound boxes of heavy clumping litter.

That said, there were a few issues with this product in our tester households — for the people, not the cats. The ScoopFree only comes with one disposable litter tray, and buying a new one each month starts to get costly. When we tested it in two-cat households, the tray had to be swapped out more often, sometimes every 10 days, so it can be a costly system if you have multiple cats.

Also, we (and many online reviewers) had trouble with the crystals not hiding odors. It's less of a problem with solid waste, which gets raked into the bin, but it can be an issue if your cat pees a lot, since the moisture gets absorbed but not contained. Still, others say they never smell this litter box, so for some, it provides odor-free relief. The noise from the mechanical rake was minimal for our testers. PetSafe marks this as best for cats under 15 pounds, so it's not suitable for larger felines. It's also not for kittens under 6 months.

Size and age restrictions: Cats must weigh less than 15 lbs and be older than 6 months | Dimensions: 20.4" x 28" x 7.1" | Interior dimensions: 14" x 14"

We're adding this one in, as it works virtually the same as the Litter-Robot for a little less money. What's the same: It works with clumping cat litter and has a globe that rotates to drop waste into a bin at the bottom. The brand recommends small-particle clumping cat litter. (Tidy Cat Lightweight could be one to try.) What's improved: It's a couple of inches smaller than the giant Litter-Robot and $100 cheaper, which is not insignificant. But the entryway is much smaller, which will work for some cats who crave privacy but could be an issue if you have a very large cat.

Leo's Loo uses odor-controlling filters and a UV sanitizing light meant to reduce odors and bacteria. We are still testing this in homes to determine how we feel about both of those features. Meanwhile, some online reviewers say that the filters and UV lights help but don't completely knock out all smells with some cats. You can buy the lavender-scented drawer liners to further fight odors and to make the once-weekly emptying of the bin nice and easy.

There's an app for Leo's Loo that you can use on iOS or Android. It can also be connected to Alexa or Google — for instance, you can ask Alexa to run a cleaning cycle before guests come over. The cleaning function is very quiet. Sensors will keep the box from rotating if your cat is too close. This one will wait for your cat to move away before the cleaning cycle runs, rather than Litter-Robot which waits a set amount of time.

Buy the Loo with the standard gray drum or one in a pastel color like pink or blue. It's only the entryway color that changes, the main device is always white.

Size and age restrictions: Cats must weigh more than 3 lbs | Dimensions: 24" x 22" x 27.5" | Entryway: 8" in diameter